FOUR two-year-olds made €1 million or more at last Saturday's Arqana Breeze Up Sale in Deauville. All four were from Irish vendors.

Following on from record spending at the Craven and Doncaster breeze-ups, the Arqana Sale also saw records set.

Some 87% of the lots offered changed hands for an average of more than €200,000, establishing a European record, and a median of €120,000, up 22% and 20% respectively. Total turnover came in at €27,444,500, up 27% from the record 2024 edition.

Bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud was a central figure, buying three of the four top lots. Two were for Godolphin and one for KHK Racing. Coolmore, underbidders for the €1.9 million top lot, bought the other seven-figure lot.

A total of 13 horses sold for €500,000 or more, compared with six last year.

The day was littered with spectacular pinhooking successes, none better than the top lot. This was a Night Of Thunder colt bought for 90,000gns at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale by Cormac Farrell, the racehorse trainer and sales consignor based at Copper Beech Stables in Co Kildare, and business partner of Douglas Taylor.

A bidding war between Coolmore and Godolphin for the colt took the price to €1.9 million before Anthony Stroud signed the docket on behalf of Godolphin.

The Night of Thunder colt is out of Date With Destiny, the only horse ever to race for classic winner George Washington. She is already the dam of four winners, including Beautiful Morning (by Galileo), a listed and Group 3 winner for Jessica Harrington.

“He’s a superb colt,” said Stroud. “He breezed very well on Thursday. Night Of Thunder is a very good stallion, with whom we won a classic last weekend (Desert Flower, 1000 Guineas).”

Godolphin purchase

The session began with Godolphin paying €1 million for one of the first lots into the ring.

The colt was consigned by Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm, the same vendor who sold this year's 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court to Godolphin for €2.3 million at this very sale in 2024.

Godolphin's latest seven-figure purchase is a son of Maxfield and was bought by Williamson for just $70,000 at Keeneland last September. Maxfield (by Street Sense) was bred and raced by Godolphin in the US. He was a Grade 1 winner at two years over an extended mile, won both his starts at three, and won two Grade 1s over nine and 10 furlongs as a four-year-old. He stands at Darley's Jonabell Stud at a fee of $40,000 and he is due to have his first runners this year.

The colt's dam American Victory (by Victory Gallop) has had six winners to-date from 10 foals of racing age.

There was a second seven-figure sale shortly afterwards when the Anthony Stroud/Matt Coleman agency, acting for KHK Racing, paid €1 million for a Sioux Nation filly consigned by Roderic Kavanagh's Glending Stables.

French-bred, she cost only €48,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale last year. Her dam Brioniya (by Pivotal) was listed-placed and has bred three winners, including the listed-placed Bakhcisaray (by Motivator).

Later in the day Willie Browne of Mocklershill Stables got in on the 'millionaire' action when he sold a Siyouni colt to M.V. Magnier of Coolmore for €1 million.

A full-brother to Saracen, who finished third in the Greenham Stakes last month for trainer Joseph O'Brien, this colt was a €290,000 yearling at the Arqana August Sale.

Afterwards, Magnier recalled that Coolmore bought St Mark's Basilica (also by Siyouni) at Deauville and said there are good reports of that classic winner's first crop which is due to race this year.

Irish vendors cash in on tasty pinhooks

OTHER Irish vendors to sell horses for €500,000 or more last Saturday were Gay and David O'Callaghan's Yeomanstown Stud, Tony and Roger O'Callaghan's Tally-Ho Stud, Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud, Paddy Vaughan's Ballybush Stables, Tom Whitehead's Powerstown Stables and Jim McCartan's Gaybrook Lodge Stud.

Yeomanstown sold a son of Blue Point to Anthony Stroud for €900,000. The colt, a half-brother to Fozzy Stack's recent listed winner Two Stars, was bought on behalf of KHK Racing and will be trained by Roger Varian.

Bred by Tom Gaffney's Churchtown House Stud, the colt was sold as a foal for 170,000gns to Guy O'Callaghan's Grangemore Stud.

Tally-Ho Stud sold a half-sister to Royal Ascot winner Valiant Force for €800,000 to Blandford Bloodstock. Richard Brown of Blandford spent €3.7 million on nine horses and while he did not name his client he has been a prolific buyer on behalf of Wathnan Racing in recent years.

Valiant Force was by American dirt sire Malibu Moon and his half-sister who sold here is by Mitole, a Breeders' Cup Sprint winner. This was her third time in the sales ring, having fetched $300,000 as a foal and €525,000 as a yearling.

Blandford also spent €520,000 on a Dubawi colt from Willie Browne's Mocklershill and €500,000 on a Havana Grey filly from Gaybrook Lodge.

The Dubawi colt is out of Queen Mary winner Anthem Alexander, already the dam of five winners. He was withdrawn from Book 1 last October by his breeder, Noel O'Callaghan.

Havana Grey has been a legend for so many breeze-up consignors, and Jim McCartan is the latest to get a turn out of the Whitsbury Manor Stud. Last September McCartan picked up a Havana Grey filly from Whitsbury Manor at the Somerville Yearling Sale for 55,000gns. She sold for €500,000 to Blandford last Saturday.

Kerri Radcliffe, acting for an American client, gave €725,000 for a Justify colt consigned by Lynn Lodge. The half-brother to six winners was bought at Keeneland last year by Mags O'Toole for $150,000.

Paddy Vaughan's Ballybush Stables landed a couple of great touches at the recent Doncaster breeze-up sale. Here he sold a colt by US sire Practical Joke for €650,000 to Godolphin. Vaughan bought the horse at the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale for $62,000.

Amo Racing bought just two lots, the highest priced of them a €550,000 Too Darn Hot colt from Powerstown Stud. A half-brother to this year's Winter Derby winner Champagne Prince (by Lope De Vega), the colt was bought by Tom Whitehead for 97,000gns at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.

Only two of the 13 €500,000-plus sales were consigned by British vendors.

Roger Marley's Church Farm Stud sold a Wootton Bassett colt for €820,000 to Anthony Stroud. Only the second foal out of an Australian daughter of Shamardal, the colt was bought privately as a yearling at Arqana for €125,000.

Mark Grant sold a Night Of Thunder colt to Blandford Bloodstock for €550,000. Grant bought the colt for €75,000 at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.

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